Learning, Teaching and the Brain At a conference hosted by University of Cambridge International Examinations, Dr Paul Howard Jones from Bristol University explained how teachers can use insights from neuroscience to provide more effective teaching and learning. Read more
Digging for validity Guest speaker and archaeologist Dr Carenza Lewis explains how a valid assessment model has been developed for an extra-curricular activity. Read more
GCSEs: from modular to linear assessment The removal of modular GCSEs means that students starting a three year course from September 2011 will follow a linear programme of assessment. However, our research reveals that there is in fact justification for both linear and modular assessment routes to coexist. Read more
Education changes under the coalition government The coalition government has launched many educational policies: academies, free schools, the English Baccalaureate and the freedom for parents and teachers to choose qualifications. What are the implications for today's learners? Read more
Using the CRAS framework to measure the demand of exam questions CRAS is a framework developed to measure the demand of individual exam questions. CRAS can, however, prove problematic if it is used to measure the demand of a whole question paper or qualification. Read more
Notes from Asia Pacific Asia Pacific is a particularly dynamic area in educational reform. Our series ‘Notes from Asia Pacific’ gives an on-going view of various education initiatives from across the region. Read more
What can we learn from other improving school systems? At our eighth Parliamentary Research Enquiry, academics and policymakers debated a recent McKinsey report on what schools of varying levels of performance do to achieve sustainable gains in student outcomes. Read more
Is 14 the new 16? Should there be a national examination at 14 rather than 16? Our debate considered whether the age at which children take GCSEs should be lowered to 14 as well as the pros and cons of a routed system. read more
Higher Education admissions tests must be fair, valid and transparent Higher Education Institutions are under increased pressure to be able to prove that their selection procedures are transparent and fair. Read more
Comparability of examination standards With many new qualifications being introduced and international comparisons taking place, this area is becoming increasingly important to researchers. But what exactly we mean by comparability? Read more
What kind of education enables us to cope with an interconnected world? Is there a common set of skills, body of knowledge, level of understanding or a mindset that enables students to flourish in an interconnected world? Read more
How do children learn? There was a lively debate about the science of how children learn and the implications this has for education policy at Cambridge Assessment’s seventh Parliamentary Research Enquiry at the Houses of Parliament. Read more
Research Matters Research Matters is our free biannual publication which allows us to share our assessment research, in a range of fields, with the wider assessment community.